Does brodifacoum and warfrin rat and mouse poison make rodents thirsty?

Question: I've heard that rat and mouse poisons such as brodifacoum and warfrin make these pests thirsty. After eating the poison, the pest will try to find water before they die. Thus, the pest will more likely die outside rather inside a house or building. Is this true?

Answer: These chemicals are anticoagulants and cause internal bleeding in mice and rats. I do not think that they become thirsty. They only leave if their nest is outside the building. If the nest is inside, they die inside the building. There is no way to predict where the rat or mouse will die, but often it is in an inaccessible place—inside a wall or in an attic. When that happens, there is an odor for a few days.

Some of these products, such as brodifacoum are second-generation anticoagulants with very low lethal dosage. In other words, they can be dangerous. In addition to this, there have recently been many changes to the rules regarding the use of rodenticides.

Rodent control is best left to the experts. If you are experiencing issues with rodents, call Orkin and schedule a home inspection. A highly trained Orkin Pest Specialist will come to your home, evaluate the situation, make recommendations, and if necessary, come up with a treatment plan to resolve your rodent problem.